Constitutional Court Okays Creation of New Government in Kosovo

TIRANA – Kosovo will not go to polls as the outgoing PM Albin Kurti asked as the Constitutional Court of Kosovo decided on Thursday evening that President Hashim Thaci’s decree of giving a mandate to Avdullah Hoti (LDK) to form a new government is in line with the Constitution.
It is now expected that the new coalition government between the Democratic League of Kosovo and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), together with other parties, will be voted in.
The request for the assessment of the constitutionality was raised by the Vetëvendosje (LVV), whose leader Albin Kurti lost the vote of no confidence in March. LVV had argued that the new elections are the only way forward, and that until they can take place Kurti’s caretaker government should carry on.
“The biggest political party does not have the exclusivity to propose the candidate of the prime minister to form the government,” the Court said in its verdict as quoted by local media.
Hoti has promised he will return to negotiations with Serbia to normalize ties under European Union and United States mediation. Such talks were halted in 2018 when a previous government introduced a 100 percent tariffs on goods produced in Serbia.
LVV Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca considered as ‘scandalous’ the ruling which, as he warned, could lead to ‘civil revolt’.
President Thaci welcomed Court’s decision saying he was convinced that any step taken by him was in line with the Constitution.
“Many challenges are in front of Kosovo. So time should not be lost for the creation of the new government having full legitimacy of Kosovo’s parliament,” said Thaci. /argumentum.al